When the plot-skips players into the game world

Aiwass once again awoke leisurely, finding himself lying on the bed in the inn's room.

He had a subconscious feeling that something was off but couldn't remember what it was at the moment.

"Mr. Fox, come quick and see!"

Just then, a spirited and crisp child's voice came from beside him: "It's so beautiful here!"

…Such strong intuition. She had sensed that someone else was here without him saying a word, simply from him opening his eyes.

Was this the sensitive intuition that befits a candidate of the Path of Beauty? Continue reading on empire

Aiwass looked toward the source of the voice and saw Daiya crouching at the window which was pulled inward, watching the outside intently.

It was then that Aiwass realized why he had felt that sense of unease—

"…The rain has stopped, huh."

He murmured softly.

Outside was not night but morning. Last night's storm had calmed, but a light drizzle was still falling.

Only at this moment did Aiwass see just how beautiful the outside was—

The sky was so high and bright. Not far from the window, one could see a dense forest and a lake that shimmered like a sapphire.

It seemed that the inn was located midway up a hill. Looking toward the other side, one could vaguely see the village at the base of the mountain.

The storm seemed to have caused no damage to the forest, which remained intact. The aura of the storm lingered in the air, and the whole world was clear and moist.

Aiwass immediately understood why Isabel was looking so attentively.

She actually loved this kind of natural environment, but due to the limitations of her identity, Isabel couldn't easily leave Glass Island.

She had long known that Shepherd Bay County was famous as a tourist destination… After all, many knights from Glass Island would go there to fish or hunt before the holidays or hunting season. Yet, she herself could only look on with envy.

Thinking this, Aiwass patted Daiya's head and casually said, "Speaking of which, after the end-of-term exams, I plan to visit Shepherd Bay County with the Detective.

"If you want to come… Should I mention it to your grandmother?"

"Really?"

Upon hearing this, Isabel's eyes suddenly lit up: "Would she agree?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure."

Aiwass could only speak vaguely to keep Isabel from getting her hopes up too much.

After pondering for a moment, Isabel calmed down again: "Never mind, I won't go."

"Won't you try for it?"

"You two aren't the type to play around. If you're leaving suddenly, it's probably for something important. If I go along, I might cause you trouble… After all, that would mean you'd have to be distracted by taking care of me, right?"

"Daiya" turned her head back, looking up at Aiwass with her sparkling eyes: "So I'll just stay here. It's a rare holiday, and it's also a good opportunity for self-improvement.

"I plan to ask my teacher for some special training—if I succeed in advancing this time, I'll reach the third energy level. If I encounter anything again… I won't be so helpless."

She whispered softly: "Then I can help you… Mr. Fox."

"It's not suitable to call Mr. Fox right now."

Aiwass squatted down, leveling his gaze with Isabel's.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, a mischievous smile on his lips, gently stroking Daiya's hair and ear as he said in a teasing tone, "Call me daddy. It's necessary for the role-play."

"Daiya's" face instantly flushed red.

She hesitated for a moment, glanced around subconsciously, then said in a very soft voice: "Dad, daddy…"

—Ah, that's satisfying.

Aiwass took a pleased breath: "When I realized that you might be pretending to be Daiya, I've been looking forward to this moment. This is an element I couldn't miss collecting."

"Is it really necessary..."

Daiya puffed up her cheeks, "If you really want to hear it that badly, I suppose it wouldn't be impossible to discuss it outside..."

"Never mind, I'm afraid of getting hit."

Aiwass declined with a smile.

"Speaking of which," Daiya whispered, "have we returned to reality now? The rain outside has stopped."

"...Hard to say."

Aiwass narrowed his eyes and casually stroked Daiya's little head.

He felt that the smoothness of her hair became even more pleasant the more he stroked it, "Let's exchange information first. They should be coming down soon too, let's go outside and take a look."

And as soon as he walked out the door, he saw the old Inspector coming out from next door.

Pure White nodded slightly at Aiwass, then, without saying a word, followed them over.

Soon after, the couple's room door also opened. Everyone but the dancer had come out and followed downstairs.

After exchanging glances, everyone smiled at each other in a friendly yet mysterious manner. Daiya instinctively clung to the corner of Aiwass's clothing, causing him to pause briefly before he reached back and took her hand.

When everyone reached the lobby, they saw that the reporter was still hanging around nearby.

But differently from before, when he saw everybody approaching, the reporter unconsciously showed a look of alertness and urgency.

"What happened?"

Pure White asked with great authority, "What's going on with him—how?"

—They saw that the front desk attendant had once again been shot dead on the table. It was the same scene as on every other floor.

The only difference was that this time, the reporter's gun was not in his hand but had fallen inside the reception area.

"I was going to say I didn't know anything—I'm afraid you wouldn't believe that."

The reporter spread his hands helplessly and sighed, "But he really did commit suicide! He suddenly went crazy, muttered 'This is all a dream,' snatched my gun, and then shot himself!"

Mr. Reporter seemed like he truly didn't know anything.

To preserve the crime scene, he had stayed right there the whole time, not venturing anywhere. Because if he had left, or if he had taken the gun away, it would have been really hard to explain his innocence.

"...You really are honest,"

Aiwass said with a tone of tough love, "Didn't you think you might be accused by staying here?"

"I would like you to come with me."

Pure White also spoke seriously, "Memory detection by the Supervisory Court will tell us whether or not what you're saying is true."

"Hey, no—wait, that's not right!"

The reporter's expression turned frantic, "If my memory gets scanned, I'd be dead for sure! Isn't it obvious that I'm innocent since I've been protecting the crime scene here? If I had taken the gun, you wouldn't be able to find the murderer, right?"

"However, there's also the possibility," Pure White said solemnly, "that you deliberately acted the opposite way, just to clear yourself of suspicion."

"No need to act anymore, Merlin?"

Jacaranda sighed with disinterest, "Or are you up for another round?"

"...What Merlin?"

The reporter furrowed his brow, resisting fiercely, "Anyway, I will not submit to an investigation. Listen, I've said it because I am—"

But just then, Aiwass suddenly acted, shooting him in the head. The reporter was hit in the forehead and immediately fell to the ground, eyes wide open in death.

"—He indeed was not Merlin."

Aiwass coughed lightly and spoke slowly, "Let me explain."